Geography of Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was very much full of fertile soil which was great for farming. This was one of the many reasons people decided to settle down in the Italian Peninsula and why the Ancient Roman Empire eventually formed. Historians theorize that people moved from northern Europe into the Italian Peninsula because of its fertile soil and that the first people settled in Rome. Rome was built in a great place since it was on a river and the surrounding farmland was very lush and fertile. Rome was also built on several hills which helped prevent invasion and gave them a heads up on any invading forces. Rome also developed bridges from which they could cross the Tiber River which made many people go through Rome. Rome had an amazing climate and geography which helped a lot in its development.

Founding of Rome

There are two myths that describe the beginning of Rome, the first one is that there where two twin brothers called Romulus and Remus. They were abandoned by their parents as babies and put into a basket that was then placed into the River Tiber. The basket ran aground and the twins were discovered by a female wolf. The wolf nursed the babies for a short time before they were found by a shepherd. The shepherd then brought up the twins. When Romulus and Remus became adults they decided to found a city where the wolf had found them. When Remus began to make fun of what Romulus was building he killed Remus in a fit of rage. He then finished the city by himself and established himself emperor. The other story of Rome's creation is that when the Trojan War was over Aenaes sailed the medditteranean Sea in search of a new place to call home. He eventually came to the Latins where he became the king of them. Although this is what the Romans claimed to have happened, archaeologists have a different opinion on how Rome was created. Historians believe that the Latins lived around Rome around 100 BC and sometime between 80 and 700 BC they joined together with all the other people of the land to create Rome. 

A Day in the Life of a Slave

My day begun with my master yelling at me to get up, to work. At first I hesitated but I knew that if I didn't get up he would beat me. I started my day already dressed for work, after all I only had one thing to wear. I walked out into the fields to begin my work. It was a sunny, hot midsummer day. I needed to pick all the olives in the first grove by the end of the day. By twelve I was dying of thirst and heat, just like every day. My master came out, I was hoping for water but I had no such luck. He came to yell at me to stop lazing around. I begged him for water and he got made and punched me in the face. I was disposable, he had 24 slaves, a massive land owner. The sun was still beating down on me, still on the ground he kicked me in the belly then hoisted me up. I saw him go back into his mansion and continued my work. If I didn't he would surely beat me to near death tonight. By 6 o'clock the sun was still in the sky but going down. I had barely finished my work when he came out again. He left a small bowl of water by the door to the slave house and a small loaf of bread. I quickly ran to get some.This was the end of my day, the end of a day in the life of a slave. 

Olympic Games

The Olympics started in Greece around 800 BC in Athens in honor of Zeus. The games' athletes were all rich because they needed to train for ten months before going to the Olympics. In addition to that they were expected to have royal banquets if they won which they would fund themselves, so participation in the Olympics was largely for rich people. Women were also not allowed to participate in the Olympics. Until the 128th Olympics women were not allowed to participate or spectate. The Olympics started out as a few footraces but then progressed to add chariot races, boxing, wrestling, and a game called Pancratium. "Pancratium combined boxing, wrestling, kicking, biting, gouging, and strangling. Men were often permanently killed or injured during this event". The Olympics eventually faded away when the Romans took over and the Greek civilization declined. In 1896 the games were resurrected by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in Athens, Greece. Since then the games have been continuously held in cities around the world (except for WWI and WWII). The winter Olympics were added in 1924 so that every two years there would be Olympics, alternating between summer and winter.

Ancient Egyptian Art

This was my Ancient Egyptian art poster. My art has a picture of Anubis, the god of embalming, mummifying an Egyptian pharaoh. Underneath the table that the pharaoh is on four canopic jars holding the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines. On the walls are many hieroglyphs that don't mean anything and if translated would probably be complete gibberish. I used all real hieroglyphs that were used in Ancient Egyptian times and I tried to use different ones to have some diversity. The pharaoh is in a richly colored sarcophagus with a mask to symbolize his face. This is what my art was meant to symbolize and what was in it.    

How do natural features such as rivers, lakes, and mountains help unite people, or keep them isolated from each other?

Natural features like lakes, rivers, and mountains have always played a large part in our history and divided different countries. Our world is divided into seven continents, which makes four large, separate landmasses. Each one of these landmasses were not connected until the 1700's. During the era of exploration three new continents were founded: North America, South America, and Australia. Each one of these continents had been isolated from the lands everybody knew because of oceans and seas. The ocean had kept North and South America completely isolated from Europe, Africa and Asia. On a smaller note rivers and lakes can also divide people even if they are not that large. Before the Egyptians could sail across the Nile they were separated from the people on the other side. The Himalayas in Asia could have also kept the people who lived there isolated from the rest of the people in Asia. Natural features could also keep people united because they might have to keep together to overcome some obstacles; like the people in Egypt.

Nile Paragraph

I wake up to the swishing of the waves on the hull of the boat shaking me and rocking me back and forth. I make my way to the deck of the boat and there I see a beautiful dawn rising on the plains beyond the great granite cliffs. As the boat sails further and further down the Nile I begin to see more and more villages, farms, and towns. The constant movement of the boat makes my weak stomach feel weak. The beautiful trees cliffs and deserts pass by me as we sail down the Nile. My destination grows nearer and the sight of Memphis draws into sight . The smell of the fish in the hull grows stronger as my senses begin to become more aware. I yawn with a deep breathe tasting the air of my home. As I sail into port the sounds of the city and the fish seller unloading my boat grow strong. I exit my boat and take a good look at Memphis, my home. 

Indonesian Mummies?

List at least FIVE questions that you would ask about a place to determine whether it might be a promising location to find human mummies. Your questions should relate to climate, culture, religion and other factors that you think are important. Include Images!!!!!

Indonesia

1. Are there any ancient civilizations that used to live here?

2. Is there a cold enough climate to mummify a person with ice?

3. What is the country that resides there now?

4. Is it a swampy area?

5. What are some of the main religious practices of the people that live in this area?

Mummies

Cryonics- [krahy-on-iks]


–noun ( used with a singular verb )
the deep-freezing of human bodies at death for preservation and possible revival in the future.


Mummy- [muhm-ee]

noun, plural -mies, verb, -mied, -my·ing.

–noun

1.

the dead body of a human being or animal preserved bythe ancient Egyptian process or some similar method ofembalming.

2.

a dead body dried and preserved by nature.

3.

a withered or shrunken living being.

1. In what parts of the world have mummies been found?

Mummies have been found all over the world. The most famous place that mummies have been found and the place people usually think mummies come from is Egypt. In Egypt people would mummify dead kings/pharaohs in large tombs to prepare them for the afterlife. There are also mummies in Northern Chile. Anthropologist Bernardo Ariaza said that in Chile they invented mummufication to extend the lives of their dead children.

2. In what types of places (physical geography and climate) have mummies been found?

Since nature has a way of preserving dead bodies mummies are found all over the world. Some places of intentional mummufication are Egypt and Chile; though, more mummies have been made by nature unintentionally. There have been many mummies found in northern Europe recovered from bogs, and also u the Andean peaks there have been mummies that have been frozen for thousands of years and have stayed there. 

3. How did Ancient Egyptians preserve their dead

· First, purify the body by washing it with water.

· Make an incision on the left side of the body, below the heart.

· Remove the liver, lungs, intestines, and stomach. Leave the heart intact, as the deceased will require the heart to travel to the spirit world.

· Put each of the 4 organs you have removed into its own canopic jar.

· Insert the hooked tool into the deceased's nostril and pull the brain out through the nose. The brain can be discarded.

· Liberally cover the body in natron (a natural salt, composed of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate with traces of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate). The natron will dehydrate the body and allow the blood to drain from it.

· Allow the body to drain for 40 days.

· When the body is fully dehydrated, wrap natron-soaked gauze or bandages around it. Make sure to cover the body completely from head to toe.

· Decorate the mummy with an appropriate designs or mask that fits the social station the deceased had in life

4. Why do you think ancient Egyptians took such care to embalm their dead if the desert could do the job for them?

The Ancient Egyptians probably didn't know that that the desert could mummify their dead. They also wanted to show respect for dead kings and give them a happy afterlife. In Egyptian tombs, kings were buried with all sorts of food, gold and other luxuries. This was because they wanted the kings to have a good journey to the afterlife. If they just through the kings into the desert it would be a bad trip to the afterlife and the gods might have feared the gods or the new king getting mad at them. 

5. What features of the natural environment can cause bodies to be mummified unintentionally?

Many different environments can mummify dead. One of the most common ones are ice and snow. Ice is obviously something that can preserve a dead body easily because when somebody dies in the middle of a freezing mountain everything in the body becomes frozen and over thousands of years it is preserved. Another natural environment that can preserve are bogs. The swamps can perfectly preserve the  bodies. 

6. According to current scientific beliefs, what are some reasons people were intentionally mummified.

In England and Europe historians believe mummies there were sacrificed and left to the bogs to be mummified. In ancient Egypt it was to prepare the kings for the afterlife, and in Chile they mummified their dead children so they could live longer lives.

Babylon Poster

How Humans have Changed their environment?

Throughout time humans have been changing their environments to fit their needs and have been doing so even more in recent years. When Humans domesticated animals they protected them from their natural predators and allowed them to flourish in population. Early hunter gatherers began to farm and make plants grow near them to provide them with food. Humans have done lots of bad things to the environment in recent years especially. When humans began to use coal and oil for fuel then it polluted the environment. Humans began to feed grass eating animals corn because we have so much of it. Throughout time humans have made everything they need to their liking and continue to do so today.

Why is Catal Hoyuk an important archaeological find?

Catal Hoyuk is one of the first neolithic towns found in modern day Turkey. Catal Hoyuk is also one of the biggest, if not the biggest, Neolithic towns found in the world. Catal Hoyuk was founded by a group of hunter-gatherers in what was once the most fertile and rich area in terms of food. Catal Hoyuk had a population of roughly 1000 people. Even though there was such a large population (for the time) there were no roads but instead people walked on each other's houses to get to theirs, and ladders would lead to the roofs of higher elevated houses. Catl Hoyuk is an important archeological find because it shows how early hunter-gatherers settled down in a permanent settlement and became hunter-farmers. Catal Hotuk also showed how specialization      and division of labor began to develop shown through pieces of pottery, tools, etc. Catal Hoyuk is a very important archeological find and will probably give a lot more information when the whole city is discovered.